


Things don't just vanish, and, despite popular belief, there is no underground guild of thieving gnomes

by SleepySquid



Series: Things Don't Just Vanish [1]
Category: Gintama
Genre: A/B/O, AU, Alpha Hijikata, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Blood and Violence, Canon Past Events, Canon-Typical Violence, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Smut, Explicit Sexual Content, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Mostly Fluff, Omega Gin, POV Alternating, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Slavery, Some Plot, Swearing, coming to terms
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-12
Updated: 2019-05-25
Packaged: 2019-06-26 13:33:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 17,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15664209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SleepySquid/pseuds/SleepySquid
Summary: Hijikata's usual routine is disturbed when his clothes start going missing. How did that lead to him helping Gin accept and deal with his omegan nature? Hijikata is too tired for this shit.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing fanfiction, so we will see how this goes. Not beta'd. I'm planning to try and update weekly if not every other week. Comments and criticism always welcome.

Hijikata stood in front of the ranks of Shinsengumi, hoping the anger in his expression increased his intimidation factor enough to make up for being out of uniform. Wearing only his dress shirt and pants on duty he felt almost naked, but that would soon change. Someone was going to pay for this. 

“Whoever has been stealing all of my clothes,” he demanded, “had better come forward now, and maybe I’ll give you the mercy of committing seppuku rather than being tortured by me.” 

A slightly manic expression graced Hijikata’s face as he drew his blade to prove a point. A few of the men before him flinched, and the scent of distress in the courtyard became stronger.

They were right to be afraid because someone had taken not just one, but all of his uniform jackets, vests, and cravats not to mention a few pairs of pants and his off duty kimono. Clearly this was some attempt to undermine him by making him look unprofessional. In most cases like this, Hijikata would immediately blame Sougo, but thieving his wardrobe didn’t seem devious enough for the younger alpha. 

His eyes narrowed as he took in the aforementioned alpha’s amused grin. Maybe he was missing something, and this was part of a larger scheme. The kid had set up an elaborate saw scenario just to torment him in the past, so Hijikata wouldn’t put it passed him. 

One of the men hesitantly took a step forward. Hijikata’s attention immediately snapped to him, and he asked, “what do you have to say for yourself?”

The beta scratched the back of his head, likely a nervous tick. “I don’t know if it was any of us sir. A few of us have noticed some weird stuff going on in the barracks lately.” 

Some of the other Shinsengumi nodded in agreement before others began to add onto the story.

“The other night I saw a figure turn a corner, but when I looked it was gone.”

“I heard footsteps walking in the corridor, but there was no one when I checked.” 

“I heard quiet humming, but before I could identify the tune it stopped.”

“A door I know I closed was open when I returned.”

“The strawberry ice cream I bought was gone when I went to eat it.” 

A hand suddenly touched Hijikata’s shoulder, and he jumped whipping around to see it was only Sougo. “What’s wrong Hijikata? Afraid of the barracks ghost?” The young officer taunted, his eyes glinting in amusement.

Damn him. And damn ghosts. Really, who in their right mind wouldn’t be afraid of the undead? What would ghosts even need his clothes for? Some sort of curse? Nope. Hijikata refused to acknowledge that possibility, pushing away all thoughts of hordes of bloody phantoms chanting around a pile of his laundry. 

“G-ghosts? They aren’t real,” he replied. “And even if they were they can’t wear clothes, so there! Besides last time the ghost just turned out to be some weird mosquito amanto. That seems more likely.”

Hijikata turned his attention back to the rest of the men. “Enough of this. We’re doubling the night guard around the barracks until the clothes thief is caught. Now, back to work!” 

 

*****

It was a good day. The temperature was just right, and Gin had managed to snatch the last copy of Jump before the hemmroids ninja. He was currently thumbing through it while returning home to his latest obsession, a large pile of assorted laundry he’d gathered. 

Gin wasn’t really sure why he’d taken to stealing, correction borrowing, people’s clothes, but it probably had something to do with the whole ‘omega’ thing. The thought made him grimace. He’d never had time for his second gender. There were always more important things to do, for example, reading Jump. Usually he stayed on suppressants, but society had changed a lot since the amanto came, and hell maybe it was about time come out as an omega. The urgency he usually felt to renew his subscription asap just hadn’t been there this time around. Funds were tight as usual and poor gin could barely even afford his jump let alone expensive suppressants. He sighed dramatically. What was the world coming to? 

Maybe he’d pick up some more next week, if he felt like it. He’d already been off of them a few days. Besides, obtaining the clothes had become pretty entertaining. In particular, navigating the shingsengumi’s barracks. It felt like he was on a stealth mission in a video game. Last raid he’d obtained a gallon of strawberry ice cream which was clearly the end of the dungeon treasure. His collection did feel like it was finally completed after all. 

Gin contentedly hummed the mission impossible theme song to himself, as he’d taken to doing on his quests, when he ran into something or should he say someone.

“Oy! Perm head! Watch where you’re walking idiot!” 

Hijikata stood in front of him, his face the embodiment of an angry exclamation point. Much to Gin’s amusement he wasn’t wearing a jacket or vest. Why was that? Oh wait, Gin had them all. What a loser.

“Sorry Mr. Police Officer. I didn’t see you there. It could be because you aren’t wearing the regulation uniform. Shouldn’t you be back at the barracks committing seppuku or something rather than bothering an innocent citizen?”

The scent of burning pine thickened in the air as the alpha got riled up. “Ha! Innocent my ass!”

Gin took a step back before clearing giving the officer a once over. “Mayora, in those pants your ass is anything but innocent.” He grinned as he pushed passed the alpha. Gin would’ve taken longer to admire the state he was in, blushing and speechless was rarely achieved, but it would ruin his exit. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have important business.” He opened the Jump again to emphasize his point, and had just rounded a corner when he heard the officer’s explosion of swear words. 

 

*****

Upon arriving home, Gin tossed the new copy of the jump onto the couch to read later. It suddenly didn’t seem quite as important. He felt anxious to check on his collection, and make sure that it was all still there. The omega hurried to his room, and took catalogue. He had items from both Kagura and Shinpachi, as well as Otose, Otae, and his futon, but his stock mainly included most of Hijikata’s wardrobe. 

Gin looked everything over, dissatisfied. He felt like he had everything, but it just wasn’t right. He aimlessly began moving things around, without any luck. His room just didn’t seem like the right place to display his new collection. Something was off. With a loud groan, Gin plopped onto the pile. Damn instincts.

He had landed with his face on one of Hijikata’s jackets. It still smelled of firewood and pine, the alpha’s unique scent, along with the tobacco he was so fond of smoking. He closed his eyes and inhaled. The scent had become so familiar to him in recent years. Though the two may not sit down and talk much, they spoke fluently through actions and the clashing of their blades. Gin had never been the best with words, so interactions with Hijikata had always been refreshing. Thornies understand each other after all. 

Gin knew where he had to move his collection. This wasn’t the right place. All of that work collecting things, and now he’d be returning most right back where he got them. This stupid project was too much work, and he couldn’t wait for it to be done so he could nap. With that thought, Gin got to his feet. 

Mayora was going to be so pissed. He shrugged. That would be a problem for Future Gin.

*****

Hijikata returned back to the barracks later that night after a very frustrating day. After his encounter with Odd Jobs… A flush lit his face. Nope, he was not thinking about that. Needless to say, the uniform was an integral part in doing his job. Everything that day had taken so damn long because each time he did something he had to whip out his badge, and even then they were skeptical. He’d been patrolling this city for years! He was a main character, dammit! Did they really not recognize him without his uniform? Oh no… Was he starting to be defined by an article of clothing like the glasses kid? 

He took a deep breath to calm himself as he stopped by his bedroom door. Enough troubling thoughts, it was finally going to be just him and his paperwork. As it should be. 

Hijikata slid open the door before immediately slamming it shut again upon seeing the scene inside. There was no way that mess was his room. The day must have really gotten to him to make him walk to the wrong door. He walked back through the barracks and arrived at his real bedroom door. He knew he had it right this time. Hesitantly he slid the door open slowly. 

Inside was some weird sort of organized chaos, and the whole room smelled sweet like strawberries. All of his paperwork and writing utensils were scattered haphazardly on his floor, and his desk had been set on its side to form a wall for a large blanket tent…. No it wasn’t only made of blankets. There were clothes, some of which were definitely his.

What the fuck?! So the clothes thief had stolen his things only to return them like this? Did they melt that ice cream and soak his clothes or something to create the smell? It had to be Sougo! What was that bastard up to?

Muttering angrily to himself he took a step into the room only to notice the blanket tent move, and a head of permy hair emerge. “Oh, it’s just a mayora.”

“What the fuck are you doing here Odd Jobs?!”

Gin looked around the room as if taking it in for the first time, “Well I am no expert on the matter, but it would appear like I’m napping in a blanket fort. Or at least I was until you came bursting in here so rudely.” 

Hijikata sputtered at his audacity, “This is my room!” 

“What I thought it was my room? Of course it’s your room idiot! I’m here because... “ Gin paused for a moment almost like he was trying to come up with a reason on the spot. Which, considering what Hijikata knew of him, wouldn’t be all that surprising. “Because Otose is looking for rent, and she’ll never look here. She sent Tama again, Oogushi, have some mercy.” 

The perm head withdrew back into his tent. 

While Gin’s alleged reason made sense, that robot could be damn terrifying, there was no way Hijikata was going to let that loser walk all over him. He also still needed to find out what the bastard had to do with the clothes theft fiasco. It wasn’t making sense, and Hijikata felt like he was missing a piece of the puzzle.

Several things happened at once, Hijikata reached forward to remove one of the top blankets, the strawberry scent soured, and Gin emerged with an angry snarl. The alpha froze instinctively, but it took him a moment longer for things to click into place, the missing piece having been revealed.

The scent of strawberries wasn’t due to the missing ice cream. If it had been it wouldn’t have changed like that. No, it was the scent of an omega. One that was close. It had to be Gin. He was an omega. The Shiroyasha was an omega. The Shiroyasha was nesting… in his room….

…. Hijikata.exe has stopped working…


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can not believe the reaction my first chapter got! Thank you all! It has been a long time since I've shared anything I've written, and all the kudos and comments mean so much!
> 
> Sorry this chapter isn't the most interesting, but the dreaded info dump had to come at some point. 
> 
> I'm going to continue trying to publish weekly, but life happens.

Gin stopped growling when it was clear the alpha was not going to disturb his fort. He had put way too much work into it to let that asshole dissemble it without a fight. 

Much to his amusement it seemed as if Hijikata had been stunned silent, and a blush was slowing taking over his face. This was twice in one day.. twice!.. that he’d left the alpha in this state. A new record. Gin wasn’t entirely sure what had caused the reaction this time, but he was still counting it. Gin: 2 - Cigarette Addict: 0

“Oy, Oogushi?” He waved a hand in front of Hijikata’s face, but the alpha didn’t react. “Mayora?” He started poking his cheek. “Mayo is disgusting. The Shinsengumi is stupid.” 

Damn, he was out of it. Gin wasn’t one to let a chance like this pass. 

*****

… Reboot Initiated … Loading Shinsengumi Code … Configuring Love of Mayo … Loading Otaku Module … Updating Nicotine Addiction … Toshirou Hijikata Online

Hijikata came out of his thoughts to find the Shiroyasha poking his cheek with his face far too close to his own. Fuck how long had he been doing that? He quickly swatted the omega’s hand away. Had he been holding something? Hijikata tried to look, but the omega was moving too much to focus on his hand.

“Oh?” Gin brightened up. “It’s alive! I thought my growl might have scared you to death. I can be quite intimidating, you know” He added the last posing smugly. 

Hijikata scoffed, “That was not what happened, idiot!”

“Then what was it?” 

“N-nothing,” the alpha sputtered, “I just… have to go… I’ll be back” 

And with that, he turned and left the room slamming the door behind him.

What was he going to do? The Shinsengumi had no omegas among them, only alphas and betas. He had no experience with omegas, and now there was one nesting in his room. And not just any omega, but the Shiroyasha himself. Even Mitsuba had been a beta. Omegas just weren’t all that common anymore, and male omega’s even less so. Most of the population was betas. As much as he hated to admit it, Hijikata needed help. 

*****

Gin frowned when the alpha left the room in a rush. He should be happy that Fort Gin was safe from death by mayora, but he still couldn’t help the sour feeling in his gut. He looked over his fort critically. He thought it looked very impressive. Why did he care so much what that damn vegeta wanna be thought? 

Gin huffed in irritation, tossing a marker off to the side, no longer as entertained by his prank. He retreated back into his fort. Reading some jump should take his mind off of all of these stupid emotions. 

*****

Hijikata considered stopping by a bookstore and buying a book on omegas, but the thought of someone seeing him with a copy of Omegas for Dummies 101 was just too embarrassing to consider. Maybe he was imagining it, but it already felt like people were turning to look at him as if they knew. Besides, somehow he didn’t think the Shiroyasha would fit into the typical omega standard depicted in those type of books.

That left him with only one other option; talk to an omega about it. This was also going to be highly embarrassing, but better than the alternative, dealing with a nesting Shiroyasha. That was a minefield equal to the one they’d created to catch the panty thief. 

Hijikata knew of two omegas close to Gintoki, Otae and Otose. The choice was clear to Hijikata. Otose had more of a history with the odd jobs, not to mention she lived below him. That had to give her some insight right? 

Hijikata paused for a moment outside of the snack house. Deep breath. In and out. He could do this. Biology was nothing to be awkward about. He walked in and sat at the bar. Otose’s gave him an odd look. Probably wondering what he was here for. Luckily, it was still early for people to come to come to a bar, so it was empty.

He lit his cigarette with his favorite mayo lighter, and slowly inhaled, holding the smoke in his lungs for a moment before releasing. The nicotine helping to calm him. Otose had continued cleaning foggy glasses, waiting, like most bartenders, for him to say his piece. 

Hijikata opened his mouth to start, only to take another puff of his cigarette. Just say it dammit! “Odd Jobs is nesting in my room.” There that wasn’t so bad right? 

Otose’s eyes widen slightly as she sets the glass down with a solid clunk that rings through the silent snack shop. The old omega pulled out a cigarette of her own, and leaned on the counter. “Well damn,” she said finally, “What are you going to do about it alpha?” 

His fake calm broke. “I don’t know! Why the hell else do you think I came here?”

Otose’s nose wrinkled. “Settle down. Your distress is stinking up the place.” Hijikata grimaced, and Otose sighed. “What do you know about omegas?”

“I never needed to know anything! The shinsengumi is mostly betas.”

“And? I’m sure you run into omegas in your line of work on occasion.” 

Hijikata shrugged. She had a point. They didn’t run into omegas a lot, but they did often enough that it was definitely an oversight on his part. He would have to rectify that in the future. 

Otose sighed. “Damn alphas. Look I’m only going to tell you this shit because Gin chose to nest with you.” She walked out from behind the counter, and gestured for him to sit with her at one of the booths “This could be a long conversation.”

Hijikata joined her and both of them lit a new cigarette. After a long draw, Otose began. “I don’t know what exactly Gin went through before I picked him up, but I doubt he ever really learned much about his second gender. That boy mostly knows war, and war is not a good place anyone to grow up in, let alone an omega. It’s likely he was taking a lot of suppressants. I’ve helped get him some since he’s come to live here, but I have reason to believe he’s likely been taking more than is healthy, and is using them to skip heats.” She shook her head, clearly concerned. 

“The fact that he’s nesting means that he’s stopped taking them recently. It’s a good sign. I believe that part of the reason Gin has overused suppressants for so long is because he’s never felt like he was safe enough to allow himself to be the omega he is. Now having formed a pack with those kids of his, and getting to know you he is starting to relax. Gin may be strong, but, instinctually, having a strong alpha or beta they trust is important for an omega to feel secure especially when nesting or in heat.”

“But why me?” Hijikata asked, “Why not the glasses and china girl?”

Otose shrugged, “I can’t say for sure, but he has become their pack leader, and as a leader he could be hesitant to show them weakness. Especially since he hasn’t told them his second gender yet. Having chosen your room to nest in is huge Hijikata. I doubt you understand how significant it is.”

The alpha straightened hearing his name.

“That choice shows that being with you is where he feels the safest. He clearly trusts you with his life.” The omega’s eyes grew cold, “Do not betray that trust. That boy has lost too much in his life already.”

Hijikata remembered the times they’d fought side by side. It was strange to hear it said out loud, but he’d known the trust was there. After all, he trusted Gintoki with his life as well. He nodded solemnly “I won’t. What do I need to know?”

Otose nodded in approval. “It’s kind of hard to explain. Nests are a safe place for an omega and their pack. When they are nesting, it’s a time for them to relax and strengthen pack bonds. It can proceed heats, but not necessarily. Healthy omegas often have both temporary and permanent nests in various locations.

“Nesting Omegas are needy. They like to have their pack close, and can sometimes be anxious if left alone. They will hardly leave the nest except to grab food, and use the bathroom. They are very protective of the nest and those they invite in. Often in building the nest, part of them is looking to impress their packmates.” 

Hijikata flinched at the last part, and Otose stopped her rambling to glare at him. “What did you do?” She asked. 

He fidgeted with the buttons on his shirt. “I may have moved to take apart his nest.”   
Otose took a deep breath. “And then you walked out didn’t you? You’re lucky you got away with just that drawing on your face. You have a lot to make up for, stupid alpha. That loser is probably in his nest moping, and he is unbearable when he gets like that.”

Hijikata groaned. Shit, she was right. That asshole was going to hold this against him for ages, and if he apologized, he’d be so damn smug. He’d be unbearable either way. 

The rest of the old omega’s words finally registered, and Hijikata jumped to his feet. “What do you mean drawing on my face?!” 

*****

After thoroughly washing off the crude drawing of a dick on his cheek and running some errands, Hijikata found himself hesitating in front of his bedroom door for the second time that day. 

The scent of strawberries and cream could be smelled ever so faintly. He’d have to see what he could do about that if he didn’t want the whole shinsengumi showing up. Gods only know what they’d do if they found out he had an omega in his room. He could practically hear the mocking.

With a sigh, Hijikata opened the door. Sure enough the nest was still there. He’d almost expected it all to have been some weird fever dream. He went over to the mini fridge he kept in his closet. It was packed full of mayonaise. He’d taken to keeping most of his stash here in an attempt to keep Sougo from sabotaging them. The damn odd jobs had better be thankful. He pulled all of the bottles out and replaced them with assorted sweets mainly strawberry milk, parfaits and pudding, Gin’s favorites. 

He’d bring the mayo over to the kitchen fridge later. With a parfait and spoon in hand, Hijikata approached the nest. “Yo natural perm, open up.”

“Not happening. No mayo allowed in Fort Gin.”

“Look, I talked to Otose. I’m sorry I tried to take apart your nest.” 

There was a squawk of protest from the tent and Gin’s head appeared. “You told her where I was? This is not a nest. This is Fort Gin, and it will stand strong against all rent collectors and dog food eaters.” His nose twitched, eyes darting to the open parfait. “Is that a peace offering?”

Hijikata nodded and Gin fully emerged to snatch it from his hand. “There’s more in the fridge,” Hijikata said with a small smile at the odd jobs’s antics, he’d taken a seat at the entrance of his nest and began eating. “You’d better ration though. Otose said you may nest for up to a week or so, and I don’t want to spend more money on your jobless self.” 

“Hey, my job is perfectly respectable,” The omega shot back, “better than being some waste of tax money. And I’m not nesting. This is a fort.” 

“Stop denying the obvious, omega. ” The alpha replied starting to gather his mayo. “And at least my job is consistent. I’ll be back.” 

He left the room feeling the omega’s eyes following him. 

Hijikata quickly stuffed all of his mayo into the fridge, hoping Sougo would have better things to do… who was he kidding he’d need to buy all new stock once his mini fridge was free again. 

Now he had to clear up his schedule. Luckily Hijikata knew the shinsengumi pack leader was working on a case, and therefore wasn’t stalking Otae. 

He walked into Kondo’s office, making sure the door was tightly shut before taking a seat.

“Paperwork is building up, so I need to take some time and focus on that rather than walking the streets. Please, don’t let Sougo run things into the ground in the meantime.” It wasn’t a lie. There was plenty of paperwork to do, but Otose had told him Gin likely would want him near. Much to his chagrin, a slight blush lit his face. He couldn’t say he was dreading it either.

“Toshi,” The other alpha said patting his shoulder, “You know you can take all the time off you want. You don’t even have to work on paperwork. You work too much.”

Hijikata shook his head with a grimace. “Because this whole place would go to hell if I didn’t. Just catching up on paperwork things may already go batshit crazy.” 

Kondo laughed, “If you say so, Toshi, but one of these days I will get you to take some vacation time.” 

Hijikata laughed as well, as he stood to leave, “I’ll rest when I’m dead.” 

***** 

As soon as the door shut behind the alpha, Gin was on his feet to investigate the fridge. He whistled softly. Hijikata had gone all out. Though if the mayora really thought this supply would last all week, he seriously underestimated Gin’s sweet tooth.

Grabbing a carton of strawberry milk, he returned to his fort. He frowned slightly. Hijikata claimed he was nesting. It would explain a lot, and if he talked to Otose, an experienced omega, he was likely well informed on the matter. Gin wouldn’t know since he had never nested. Though it would make some sense as to why he’d been so obsessed about gathering things. Forts didn’t usually involve quite so many clothes, but he knew his wouldn’t be right without them. Gin inhaled, taking in the scent of those he cared about. It had been so long since he’d last had a pack. Since the war. 

He finished off the milk, bringing his thoughts back to the present. Well, if nesting led to the mayora buying him sweets, it couldn’t be all that bad.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one is a little shorter. I was working with some writer's block, and found a decent spot to stop. 
> 
> Again, thank you to all readers and especially people who leave comments or kudos. It really means a lot!

Hijikata returned to his room after the talk with Kondo, looking cautiously down the halls before opening the door. If Gin really did nest for a whole week, the rest of the shinsengumi would surely discover the fact eventually. Especially with the scent odd jobs was giving off. Gods, it smelled like those stupid parfaits he was always eating. He wanted to hate it, he really did. 

The alpha inhaled deeply upon entering the room. By the scent, the natural perm was still in the room, but he gave no sign of acknowledging Hijikata’s return to the room. He tried to ignore the the disappointment he felt at being ignored, but it wasn’t easy. He and Gin had always gravitated towards each other. He couldn’t think of a time they’d passed each other without at least a snarky quip.

With a sigh, the alpha began to clean up the mess the nesting omega had made of his paperwork. Shitty perm head. He’d had it all perfectly organized. 

After Hijikata had gathered the scattered papers and organized his things the best that he could sans desk, he moved towards the front of the nest, careful not to get too close. “Hey, idiot! You’ve destroyed my work space, and taken up half of my room with your nest. The least you can do is let me in.” He tried to remain calm while he waited for a response. According to Otose, Gin would likely want him close, but was too damn stubborn to ask, so here he was. And besides, it wasn’t totally a lie. There really wasn’t any good place to work without his desk.

The entrance opened just a crack, and the alpha could see one of the loser’s dead fish eyes looking him over suspiciously. “And what will you give me?” 

The alpha growled in frustration, “I’m already letting you stay in my room what more do you want?”

“Ah ah ~ careful mayora. If you want admission into Fort Gin, you had better play nice.” The omega had opened the entrance further and was grinning. The little shit. If Hijikata wasn’t afraid of breaking some sacred omega rule, he’d grab his sword and storm that damn fort. Nice? Ha! He’d been plenty nice! The damn nest was situated over most of his room, his desk had been compromised, his paperwork scattered, his mayo put in jeopardy, and he’d even taken time off of standard work. Hijikata never took time off… excluding the whole sword possession incident.

Gin started laughing, “You look like you’re going to have hernia or something. I’m almost surprised there isn’t smoke coming out of your ears. Damn, mayora, it wasn’t that hard of a question.” 

“Shut up!” Hijikata protested. All sane thoughts fled. He tackled the odd jobs who squealed in surprise as they both fell back into the nest, paperwork floating back to the ground forgotten. 

“If you think you can best Gin in his own fort, you are sorely mistaken!” The omega wiggled getting his feat under the alpha and kicking him in the gut causing him to topple partially out of the tent. 

Hijikata grunted in pain, but recovered quickly before tackling Gin again. It quickly devolved into a full on wrestling match, both of them growling, but neither with any real mallace. 

Gin eventually pinned Hijikata. If asked, the alpha would swear he lost on purpose. Somehow the winner slipped his mind as he became very much aware of the omega seated smugly on top of him. How had he never noticed how strong the odd jobs’s thighs were?

 

“Ha! Take that Oogushi! Pinned by an omega, you’ll never live that down. I’ll have to share that with Okita next time I see him.” Before Hijikata could protest, he noticed an odd expression on the omega’s face as his nose wrinkled. “You don’t smell right,” Gin said irritably before leaning down and rubbing the scent gland on his neck against Hijikata’s. A gesture that officially marked the alpha as part of his pack. 

Hijikata wasn’t sure if the omega knew what the gesture signified, or that he had begun purring softly. What the fuck?! Odd Jobs was supposed to be annoying, or, in the best of times, entertaining, never adorable. What was he even thinking? The thick sweet scent in the air must be driving him mad. 

“Better,” Gin stated, pulling away and rolling off of the alpha. “Dammit! Look what you did you bastard! Everything is a mess!” 

An eyebrow raised, Hijikata looked over the assorted clothes and blankets, noting that most of them in the middle of the construction were his own. “I see no difference.” 

“Well you wouldn’t, it’s my fort. Get out while I fix it!” 

Gin still wasn’t referring to it as a nest, he noticed. He wasn’t quite sure what to think of that, but Hijikata figured it was something they could work on. He began to gather his paperwork again with a blush rising in his face. Gintoki hadn’t been upset about his forced entry into his nest, and had even told him to ‘get out while he fixed it.’ Did that mean the omega was going to let him back in when it was fixed? 

 

*****

Gin carefully got his nest back in order after their brawl, which he won of course. Had he lost, the omega likely wouldn’t be allowing the alpha back in any time soon. As it was, he supposed it would be fine.

Despite Hijikata’s calm act, Gin could tell the whole situation had him agitated. His pine and fire scent had turned slightly bitter as he shuffled his paperwork. The omega, on the other hand, was delighted. Making the v-bangs uncomfortable was one of his favorite past times. Despite certain issues, flashes of his past pack were quickly pushed to the back of his mind, nesting here had been the right thing to do. He had been so on edge lately, but finally was starting to relax especially with his alpha… packmate, he quickly corrected, properly scented. The face Hijikata had made! You would think that by messing with the shinsengumi demon vice chief for the last few years he would have seen it all, but how red the alpha’s face could get never ceased to surprise him. 

“As long as you don’t mess things up again, you can come back in,” He said pushing his entrance sheet back. 

“I doubt it can get any messier than it already is.” The mayora shuffled in, plopping down, and continuing to shuffle through his papers. Gin frowned at his inattention before lying down right next to him. The nest really only had room for two people after all. Looking back he wondered if it had been intentional, but decided not to think on it further, and instead grabbed his Jump again. He’d read through it once already, but the first time he tended to get impatient and read through quickly to see what happened. The second read through he took more time to pay attention to details. 

They stayed like that for the next couple of hours, and if they intentionally shuffled close enough to be brushing legs and arms on occasion, neither mentioned it. 

*****

Hijikata finally had all of his papers back in order. He nudged the odd jobs next to him, after setting his work outside of the nest. “Hey, loser, where are my pajamas in all of this? I’m tired.”

The natural perm sat up with a yawn. “I’m using them obviously,” he gestured vaguely to his mess of a nest. 

A frown lit the alpha’s face. “I am not sleeping in slacks and a dress shirt.”

The odd jobs grinned, “You don’t have to.” 

Aaand there was the blush again. This damn omega! Fuck! Did he think Hijikata wouldn’t do it? The alpha was not one to back down from a challenge, and, despite his embarrassment, he wasn’t going yield, not to some sugar addict. With any luck, he’d catch Gin off guard for once. 

Hijikata began unbuttoning his shirt, “You have a point.” 

Gin’s eyes widened slightly. “Damn mayora, I didn’t take you for an exhibitionist. Though I suppose with a gorilla for a pack leader, I shouldn’t be surprised.”

A laugh escaped the alpha before he could stop it. He just shook his head. “Kondo seems to have embraced the role over time despite my best efforts.” The odd jobs joined him in laughing, the sound somehow less obnoxious than it could be. Maybe because it wasn’t directed at him.

Gin shuffled around before unearthing what Hijikata recognized as his pajamas and holding them out like some sort of peace offering. The alpha saw it as a surrender. He took the clothes, but couldn’t help adding, “That wasn’t so hard.”

The omega scoffed, “I’m just trying to save you from inheriting your leader’s fate.” 

It was the alpha’s turn to scoff, “Just admit you were uncomfortable.” 

“You’re the one already half dressed.” 

Gin had him there. Hijikata took off the top he’d been sticking his arms in. “I’m fine without pajamas. You’re the one fully dressed here. Prude” 

Before he could say anything else, the alpha got a kimono to his face as the odd jobs began to strip. The bastard!

A few minutes more and the two were down to their boxers; one pink with strawberries, the other red with bottles of mayo. 

“I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for bed,” Hijikata said. He was trying to avoid looking at the omega’s chest, but it was proving more difficult than anticipated. He had so many scars, and was the one on his shoulder from their first fight? Fuck! He was looking again.

“I’m always ready,” Gin replied lying down and grabbing a couple of pillows and a comforter, tossing one of the pillows to him. 

Hijikata easily caught the pillow and began to settle in next to him, “Yeah, right. Unless there’s work involved.” 

The banter continued for few more minutes until the two began to drift off to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy crap you guys! All of your comments have been so positive and no lie brought me to tears one morning. 
> 
> Struggling with the usual cocktail of depression, motivation problems, and self-confidence issues, it really means so much to me, and has been a nice confidence boost lately. This ship is my favorite ship of all time, and seeing my contribution so appreciated is huge. 
> 
> I do plan to have some actual plot come up soonish, but for now have some more fluff.

Hijikata woke slowly, the smell of strawberries and pine thick in the air. There was a low rumbling sound… purring? His eyes snapped open, and he suddenly became aware of his situation. 

He and gin were still both in only their underwear, but the natural perm was no longer at his side. No, at some point in the night the omega had managed to drape himself across Hijikata with his nose nestled up against the alpha’s neck scent gland, and was currently purring up a storm. 

Holy fuck! Hijikata was going to die. Death by cuddly omega… not a bad way to go. No, he couldn’t allow that! Okita would follow him to the afterlife to mock him.

Shit, he’d never thought the odd jobs would be so touchy feely. Though that was likely also a nesting thing. His alpha instincts almost always kept Hijikata on edge, but now he wouldn’t be surprised if he started purring himself. His omega was here nesting with him and so clearly happy. The scent he was radiating was thick and peaceful. Safe. The alpha had never felt so at peace. 

Wait… not his omega! Dammit all this was dangerous territory. His scent began to turn bitter with his stress, but the strawberry scent intensified in response relaxing him again. Hijikata couldn’t help but be impressed by the power of an omega’s pheromones. 

The omega nuzzled into his scent gland, that infuriating hair of his tickling the alpha’s neck. Hijikata didn’t allow himself to think on it, instead just acting on an impulse he’d long wanted to indulge. 

The alpha brought an arm across the omega’s back to run his fingers through his hair. With how lazy the bastard was he didn’t expect the white curls to be so damn soft. He continued to play with the hair completely enthralled. 

Hijikata had thought Gin had been purring loudly before, but he had been wrong. The omega clearly was enjoying the attention. His lips curved in a small smile. 

*****

Gin had never been a good sleeper. It was part of the reason he napped so much during the day. Night terrors had been becoming less and less frequent through the years, but bad dreams were still common, and sometimes his thoughts wouldn’t let him sleep. It had become a fact of life he had just learned to accept and live with.

Gin woke for once feeling totally at peace. It was the first time he could ever remember being so comfortable. There was the familiar scent of burning pine that made him feel completely safe, though it was stronger than he’d ever smelled it before. Fingers were running through his hair, but he wasn’t alarmed. The scent could only belong to Hijikata, which meant the fingers must belong to the alpha. His satisfaction was building in his chest and vibrating. Wait…. Was he purring? That was kind of embarrassing. Gin was a warrior, the shiroyasha, he did not purr! 

The damn mayora’s fingers tugged at his hair, and, fuck, he was definitely purring. Well he’d done more embarrassing things in the past, and if it meant Hijikata would keep petting him like this, he would learn to deal. 

The fingers tugged a little harder, and shit if that wasn’t starting to wake up a very certain part of his anatomy. “Hey, odd jobs,” that gruff voice right next to his ears was not helping his morning wood, “Get your heavy ass off me, I need to pee.” That was less arousing, but Gin still had no desire to move causing the mayora to add more loudly, “I saw your eyelids flutter you damn faker. Get off!” 

Gin refused to open his eyes, but couldn’t help the small grin. “You asshole! Do you want me to pee all over your nest? Because if you don’t move I will. Your boney knee is digging right into my bladder.” 

Further tormenting of the alpha wasn’t worth the sudden danger to his nest. He groaned and rolled to the side. “Damn alpha, I was comfortable. Leave. See if I let you back in.” 

Hijikata through on a kimono and stopped at the door before turning back to say, “With how loudly you were purring, I doubt that will be an issue,” and with that he left the room.

Gin growled at the closed door. That bastard. Didn’t even give him a chance to defend his honor. Though at the same time, the omega wasn’t quite sure how he would’ve bs’d his way through that one. No, he had to have confidence in himself. He had bulshitted his way out of worse situations. Maybe it was the nesting hormones, but his brain felt slow and fuzzy. 

Now that Hijikata had left he was starting to feel antsy, and now that he thought about it he was hungry and had to pee. He groaned. Damn bodily functions. 

Gin stood and was mid stretch when the door opened. The hot scent of cinnamon hit him as Okita took a step into the room. The omega’s eyes narrowed. This was not his alpha. He snarled, falling into a defensive crouch. The alpha took a step back out of the room, and Gin let down his guard. 

“Well this isn’t what I was expecting,” Okita stated, “Hi boss.” 

“Hey” 

“So you and Hijikata?”

Gin just shrugged and through on his clothes, “Want to show me where a bathroom is? I need to take a piss.”

“Sure, it’s on my way to the kitchen anyways. You going to be joining the pack for breakfast?” 

Gin followed Okita out of the room already beginning to feel uneasy. The thought of being surrounded by a bunch of unfamiliar betas and alphas definitely did not help the feeling. “Nah, sounds like too much effort.” 

“If you say so boss,” the alpha stops at a door gesturing at it, “Bathroom. I’ll see you around.”

Gin nodded and walked in. Well with Okita knowing, the cat was officially out of the bag. The alpha was an incorrigible gossip and rumor spreader especially if it could embarrass Hijikata.   
He’d known that his secret would likely be out when he chose to come here, but it still kind of bothered him. At least Okita hadn’t reacted any differently to him. 

Gin shook those thoughts out of his head, finished his business, and made his way back to Hijikata’s room receiving several surprised looks from random shinsengumi members he passed. 

*****

Hijikata was returning room after running to the kitchen to grab breakfast for he and gin. He’d passed Sougo on his way and the other alpha had a shit eating grin on his face. It made Hijikata nervous. Maybe he’d gotten to all of the mayo in the fridge. That was a problem he’d have to deal with later. Maybe it was the fact that Gin had scented him or nesting pheromones or some shit, but he was anxious to get back to his omega.

The alpa froze in his steps. Shit! Gin had scented him. He’d forgotten that when leaving the room that morning. Sougo had probably smelled the omega on him. 

Gin was lazing in the nest when he returned. “I brought food for you loser…” The omega immediately began digging in after examining it carefully, probably for mayonnaise. As if Hijikata would waste any on him. The alpha wasn’t quite so enthusiastic with his own food, feeling uneasy about his realization. “Also, Sougo passed me in the hall and likely smelled you on me so there’s that.”

“Oh yeah, he stopped by earlier. The news is definitely out.”

Hijikata growled, the thought of the other alpha in his room with his omega… Fuck! No! Not his omega! He had to stop thinking like that. It had to be these nesting pheremones messing with his head. 

“What are you so pissy about mayora? I knew what I was getting into when I came here.” 

“Nothing,” he replied snappishly. 

The omega raised a brow clearly catching the obvious lie, but didn’t comment. That was enough unlike him that Hijikata raised his gaze from his plate to look at the omega, whose face was carefully blank as he finished his food. Likely the natural perm wasn’t as ok with the secret being out as he was saying. 

He grabbed their dishes and set them off to the side before joining odd jobs in his nest. The alpha knew neither of them was good with emotions, but he could at least be here for the omega. 

Grabbing his paperwork, Hijikata began to work on it. Gin studied him for a moment with an odd look on his face. The omega huffed lying on his side with head in the alpha’s lap. “Dammit odd jobs,” Hijikata said moving his paperwork out of the way just in time, “You’re always in the way.” There was no bite in his words. 

Gin laughed, “You don’t mind.” 

“It depends,” Hijikata began to pet the omega with one hand writing with the other, “It can be really annoying.” 

“I’m a protagonist. It’s my job to be in the way.” 

“You enjoy it.” 

The omega snickered, “I can’t deny that. It’s rarely boring.” 

Hijikata smiled slightly, and the two fell silent.

*****

The soft scratching of pen on paper, the comfort of the fingers running through his hair, and the safe scent of his alpha had lulled Gin into a half sleep like state. His previous concerns about the alpha maybe being so upset because he was embarrassed to have his men know he was nesting with Gin seemed far away at the moment. He hadn’t expected the alpha to be so affectionate but the omega in him was loving it. 

They said that touch was a need for healthy humans, especially omegas. He’d never really been comfortable with people touching him, and had pretty much considered it bs. His first pack had never really been all that affectionate with only occasional pats on the back or hugs. Shinpachi and Kagura were more so, but this was something more. 

The pen stopped scratching. 

“Are you planning to go back on suppressants?”

Gin tensed, but his instincts and the hand still in his hair were making it difficult to be too upset with the alpha, “I haven’t really thought of it. They’re pretty damn expensive, so probably not. The news is out at this point anyways.”

“What are you going to tell the glasses and china girl?”

“I’ll probably just let them smell it on me,”

“Those two care about you a lot you know. It’s obvious even to me. They won’t think any less of you. None of the people who matter will, and you’re strong enough to beat the shit out of any that do.” 

Gin laughed at that, “You going soft v bangs?” 

“Of course not… it’s all of the nesting pheromones you’re giving off or something. Shut up.”

The omega butted his head back against the alpha’s hand. “You’re probably not going to ever hear me say this again, but nesting hormones or something, so take it in. Thanks Hijikata.”

The door suddenly opened, cutting off whatever the alpha may’ve been about to say. Both of their eyes snapped up to see Kondo peeking in with a camera. “Damn, I owe Okita $10. Aww you two are adorable. Glad I came prepared.” The flash of the camera went off and both Gin and Hijikata both snarled. 

The alpha jumped up to chase his pack leader, who was currently laugh hysterically, out the door.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm very sorry this took so long, and that it is shorter than normal! >> Depression and life things. I may be moving within the next couple of months, and will be participating in a few drag shows, plus work has been a bitch, so it may take me a bit longer again for the next chapter, but I will do my best. 
> 
> Thank you all for your support! I appreciate all of you readers so much!

Hijikata chased Kondo through the halls dodging some of the other shinsengumi members they encountered on the way. He’d prefer that picture didn’t get around. People could misunderstand, and he had the reputation of a demon to maintain. “Dammit Kondo. Delete that!”

Kondo laughed. “Not happening. I can never get you to smile for a picture. Apparently it was just because a certain fluffy omega wasn’t present”

“Fuck you!” Hijikata snarled. 

“Umm.. chief?” A hesitant voice interrupted, “I can come back, but I’ve got intel on the case.” It was Yamazaki. The two alpha’s stopped and immediately turned their attention to the beta who was radiating a bitter nervous scent. 

“What case?” Hijikata asked with a low growl, “Why haven’t I been briefed?”

Yamazaki flinched under his stare, but Kondo was unaffected. “Because you’re taking a break from field work, remember?” His alpha reminded. This was why Hijikata didn’t take breaks.

“A new case changes that! What’s going on?” He asked, frustration mounting.

Yamazaki was looking between his alphas nervously as Kondo sighed, “We can handle this, Toshi. We have plenty of of people, but Gin only chose you to nest with.” 

Kondo had a point, but Hijikata didn’t want to admit it, so instead he glared at Yamazaki, daring him to comment. 

Kondo held out the camera, and Hijikata looked at him confused. “Just take the camera and delete the picture if you want, but continue your break. I’m serious, Toshi, you need the break.”

Hijikata took the camera. “Fine, whatever.” 

He turned and left the room irritated. Otose had said that omegas could get distraught when left alone for too long. He probably should get back to Odd Jobs. He still had plenty of paperwork to work on, but first... He turned on the camera and pulled up the last picture. 

The front blanket of the nest was pulled aside revealing Hijikata and Gin. The omega’s head was on his lap and his hand was entwined in the silver curls. They both were looking at each other fondly. Shit, he may have to keep this. 

“Hi Hijikata.” 

The alpha jumped slightly before fumbling with the camera to hide the photo. He finally looked up to see Shinpachi watching him suspiciously. “Uh.. Hi” 

The beta scented the air, his eyes widening in surprise. “You smell like strawberry milk… like an omega… Gin’s off of his suppressants isn’t he? He would smell like strawberry milk. He drinks enough it probably runs through his veins.” 

It was Hijikata’s turn to be surprised. “You knew?” 

Shinpachi nodded with a small smile. “He thinks he’s being so sneaky, but he slipped up a few months ago and I found a bottle of his pills while cleaning. I had my suspicions before then, but that was dead give away.” 

“What tipped you off?” The alpha was a little disgruntled that the beta had noticed, but not him. He supposed Shinpachi did spend a lot of time with Gin, so it made since. That didn’t stem the irritation, however. 

Shinpachi snorted with amusement, “Well he likes to lay about, has a sweet tooth that will kill him one day, and hoards soft things. The first two weren’t damning alone, but the blankets and pillows he has around are amazing, not to mention the couch. You know how cheap he is, and there’s no way any of that was cheap.” The beta was now smiling fondly. “He’s also ridiculously caring, even though he’ll never admit it.” 

Hijikata laughed, “You’re right about that. He’s stubborn as fuck.” 

“He’s not the only one,” The beta was looking at him pointedly. 

“Hey now.” His eyes narrowed, but Shinpachi just chuckled.

“So he chose to nest with you?” 

The alpha shrugged, “It seems that way.” 

Shinpachi nodded, “Makes sense.” 

“You should bring the china girl and visit him. I heard omegas like to have their pack present when they are nesting.” 

The beta looked nervous, “I don’t know. He still hasn’t told Kagura and I about being an omega. I figured it out, but I know she hasn’t. The yato don’t have secondary genders like we do, and it doesn’t make a lot of sense to her.” He was starting to ramble.

Hijikata sighed, “Gin is shit with emotions, but I’m pretty sure he’d appreciate you two showing up.” 

“Calling him by his name rather than some insult? Nesting has brought you two closer.” The beta teased causing Hijikata to flush. Shinpachi grew more serious again. “Really though, thanks Hijikata. I may take you up on that offer, but first I have some business to take care of. Where can I find Kondo?”

“Why’re you looking for him? Has it got something to do with your sister?” The possibilities flashed through his mind, including his alpha’s past indiscretions. The Shinsengumi’s image had never truly recovered. At least his demon vice chief reputation helped a bit with that. 

“Yeah, though not in the way you’re thinking,” Shinpachi answered fiddling his fingers, clearly nervous about something.

“Oh? What’s going on?” Hijikata asked. He knew a potential case when he saw one.

Shinpachi wouldn’t meet his gaze. “Uhh.. nothing much, don’t worry about it. In fact, you should probably get back to Gin. I’ll find him.” 

Now that he mentioned it, it did feel like he’d been away from the omega for quite a while. Hijikata knew logically that it really hadn’t, but that didn’t stop him from waving to the beta as he walked by and continuing on his way to his room.

*****

Gin groaned as he rolled over again. He just couldn’t get comfortable after Hijikata took off after Kondo. Damn omega hormones. Damn alpha taking so long to get back. He groaned again, louder this time. 

“You’ve been lying around the last 24 hours eating sweets. What are you whining about now?”

It was Hijikata. The omega immediately perked up, “I’m bored obviously.” 

The alpha laughed, and Gin couldn’t help smiling. Hijikata doesn’t laugh enough. It makes his eyes crinkle, and ruins the whole resting bitch face that is his trademark. It makes him want to kiss him. Wait, no! 

Hijikata continued talking as if Gin hadn’t just had a revelation. “Don’t you sit on your ass any time you’re not causing me trouble? This seems like it should be pretty standard for you.” 

“I at least have a tv to watch Ketsuno Ana.”

“I am not dragging a tv in here, lazy ass.”

Hijikata gathered his paperwork, and made his way to the nest where Gin scooted over to make room before lying with his head in the alpha’s lap. The banter continued through this, a small smile on both of their faces.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! I'm alive. Hopefully with things in my life starting to mellow out a bit I'll be able to starting updating more regularly again. I hope some of the obscene amount of fluff I stuffed in this chapter will help make up for the wait. Thank you all for your support!

The time passed quickly with Hijikata working on his paperwork and Gin alternating between napping and being annoying. They were all snuggled up again when they woke, which was starting to feel almost natural. Not to mention, Hijikata hadn’t slept this well in ages. He had made a huge dent in the paperwork, and was feeling pretty accomplished. 

The peace was disturbed after dinner. His bedroom door slammed open, and before Hijikata could register what was happening he was flung out the way by a red blur, his head bouncing on the floor. 

“Gin!!!” A voice cried. 

Hijikata sat up rubbing his sore head to find the china girl cradling Gin’s head and rubbing her face against his. Gin was blinking sleepily, apparently not fully aware of the situation yet. Shinpachi was standing in the door, and when Hijikata met his gaze, the beta mouthed the word ‘sorry.’ The alpha huffed his acceptance still rubbing his head. 

“Oh, Gin! Are you alright,” China girl was saying in a baby voice. “Did the mean old mayora do anything to you? Did he take advantage of you? I’ll kill the bastard!” She was shaking her fist at him comically, but the alpha had no doubt she meant it.

Shinpachi sighed, “Kagura I told you, Gin chose to come here. Hijikata isn’t taking advantage.” 

The redhead completely ignored him, cooing nonsense at the omega, who had yet to say anything, and stroking his hair. 

Shinpachi approached the nest with a couple of grocery bags. He passed a pudding to Gin, before sitting on the omega’s other side so that their shoulders were brushing. 

Hijikata stood with a small smile as Gin visibly relaxed, taking the pudding from Shinpachi. While the three of them started talking he left the room shutting the door behind them. He was glad Shinpachi had come to visit. Gin needed his pack. Yes, Hijikata was happy for the omega… but what was this heavy feeling in his chest? 

 

*****

Once Hijikata had left the room, Kagura wasted no time in getting down to business. “So, Gin, Shinpachi tells me you’re an omega. Does this mean you have a vagina?” 

Gin inhaled a bit of pudding in his surprise, starting a fit of coughing. He shouldn’t even be surprised. Kagura was anything but subtle. What a way to die. Death by choking on pudding after hearing the word vagina. This would be his legacy. He finally dislodged the offending confectionary from his airway, and took another bite. He was a protagonist. He wouldn’t die so pathetically. 

In his absence of thought, Shinpachi was in the midst of an embarrassed ‘You can’t just ask someone if they have a vagina’ rant. Gin interrupted the beta with a simple “No, I don’t. And I can’t get pregnant since I know that’s your second question.” 

The yato’s face screwed up in thought. “Human secondary genders are weird.” 

“So is your beastly strength when you look like a child,” he retorted with a shrug. “You just learn to live with it.” 

Gin had thought that ended the topic, but it appears Kagura’s curiosity wasn’t satisfied. 

“So how do two men do it?” 

Shinpachi began waving his arms again “Kagura!”

Gin put his hand on Shinpachi’s shoulder, “No Shinpachi. We need to tell her. If we don’t, she will turn to the internet. We are not letting Kagura learn from yaoi and become a fujoshi as is the fate of too many curious teen girls. Most series only have one or two pervy characters. We already far exceed that! We can’t afford to have anymore!” 

Shinpachi nodded. “You’re right.” 

The two turned to Kagura with purpose. “One man sticks his penis in the other’s ass” Gin said simply. 

Kagura held up a hand. “No need to go on. That’s gross.” 

The two men breathed a sigh of relief. 

Gin turned his attention back to the bag Shinpachi had brought with, snagging another pudding. 

“You’re lucky my sister didn’t catch me on the way out. She would’ve insisted on sending me with home cooking.” The beta said with a laugh. 

Gin cringed at the thought of those poor abused eggs. He quickly finished the pudding, another thought coming to him. “Does she know about,” He gestured at himself vaguely. 

Shinpachi shrugged, “Probably, but she hasn’t said anything out right. I figured it out a while back. It isn’t too hard once you’ve been around you for a while. Unless you’re not human.” He looked pointedly at Kagura who smacked him over the head. 

Gin laughed before pulling them in to scent them properly, and feeling like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

*****

Hijikata was on his way back to his room. He’d managed to find business to keep him occupied for a few hours. The odd jobs had probably had enough time alone with his pups at this point, not to mention it was his room. It had nothing to do with how antsy he was feeling being away from his omega this long. Nope, nothing to do with that at all. 

He should’ve expected something strange upon opening his room, after all he did leave odd jobs alone, but they still managed to surprise them. 

Sogo was sitting against the wall near the door, which was apparently deemed an allowable distance for Gin for the time, while the omega and the china girl wrestled across a mess of cards. “The hell is this?”

“Spoons,” Sogo and Shinpachi said in unison. 

“Ha!” Gin shouted triumphantly, holding a spoon in the air. Take that SPOO! Kagura is now a SPOO!” 

“You’re a SPOO too, so you can’t talk shit!” Kagura replied pointing at him. 

“I’m only a SPO,” Sogo informed him, but he was grinning at Kagura. “Which means I’m now in the lead.” 

Shinpachi raised a hand sadly, “SPOON.”

“But why spoons?” He asked deadpan.

Gin stopped his shit talking to Kagura across the cards to gasp “Why spoons? Why spoons? Because spoons is a noble game with a rich history! Did you know the amanto war began over a game of spoons?”

Hijikata looked to Shinpachi for support, but apparently the usual straight man was in on this bullshit. Or at least unwilling to argue with the happily nesting omega. 

In spite of, or maybe because of his inattention Gin bolstered on with even more bravado. “Yes, the amanto ambassadors sat down with the shogunate and they played an intense game of spoons. Tensions were running high, and it was down to two players, both at SPOON. One more loss would determine the winner. The amanto got four of a kind and began to reach for the last spoon when suddenly the last human, having seen him reaching, flipped the table sending the spoon flying across the room in silver arc! Both amanto and human dived for it, but the human was just a bit faster, having surprised the other. And that was it. The amanto decided humans were liars and cheats, and declared war.” 

Okita and Kagura clapped as Shinpachi started gathering the cards. “Want to join us, Hijikata?” The beta asked. 

“No!” Okita and Kagura both shouted, Kagura adding “If he joins now he has an unfair advantage.” 

Hijikata crossed his arms obstinately. “This is my room, if you’re playing a game in it I can join if I want” 

Gin nodded. “Heads up everyone. Our previous game was merely a preemptive battle. This is the war. All slates are wiped clean. Agreed?”

The others agreed, Okita and Kagura begrudgingly, and Shinpachi slid over to make a spot to sit next to Gin. Hijikata hesitated. That spot belonged to someone closer to Gin, he could probably sit closer to the door. 

Gin patted the spot with a grin “What’re you waiting for? Afraid of a little competition Mayora?” 

All hesitance gone, the alpha sat with a growl, “As if!” 

Gin leaned in nostrils flaring before scenting him. The alpha flushed looking at the audience. Kagura was frowning, Shinpachi was still shuffling cards, and Okita was grinning. The damn sadist was enjoying his embarrassment.

Kagura began carefully began arranging the spoons in the middle in a circular fashion, Shinpachi passing her another before dealing the cards. 

Before he could even finish analyzing his own cards, the game had already started. How the hell were people moving that fast? Were they even seeing their cards? Cards began to pile up next to him. He looked up only to notice that there were no spoons in the middle. 

“What the fuck?!” He tossed his hand down. Only one pair of jacks. Okita triumphantly showed four queens. “How the hell did that happen so quickly?!” 

Okita chuckled, “Spoons is a game of speed. Only the strong survive. You’ve got an S Hijikata.”

Kagura made a hissing sound mocking his letter, and Gin patted his shoulder, “You’ll learn fast, or you’ll be out first.” The omega’s smile was not sympathetic. 

Hijikata huffed. He’d show them! Who the fuck ever came up with such a stupid game anyway?

*****

Two hours later, and Hijikata was just as into the game as everyone else. It had been a brutal game, players falling out one by one. First Shinpachi, then Okita, and finally Kagura. Only he and Gin remained, and he’d be damned if he let that natural perm bastard beat him. Especially with all three of the losers cheering him on. Even Sogo, the bastard.

The cards were flying, and he was at three of a kind. Where the fuck was the damn four of spades?! He saw the the omega start to reach for the spoon, and lunged for it. The two grasped the spoon at the same time, Gin laying down four aces. They looked at each other over the spoon neither making a move. Hijikata had the top, the rounded surface giving him the advantage. A low growl left his throat, and his scent turned intimidating. “Accept defeat odd jobs!” 

Gin chuckled, the throaty sound sending shivers down the alpha’s spine. He tensed, preparing to wrestle for the spoon as the omega crept closer. The sweet smell of strawberries and cream thickened, making it hard to focus. They were eye to eye. Hijikata’s breath caught. The omega’s eyes were sparkling in amusement, a deep garnet. Beautiful. No, the odd jobs had dead fish eyes, he tried to remind himself. 

Gin closed the distance between them, his lips just barely brushing against Hijikata’s own. “Never,” The omega whispered as he pulled away. 

The alpha froze up entirely, his face hot and his heart heavy in his chest. Fuck! Everyone could probably hear it! Fuck! They weren’t alone! What the hell was that crazy bastard thinking?! Wait! The alpha snapped back to attention to see the goofy omega balancing the spoon triumphantly on his top lip to the cheers of the others. 

The alpha sputtered pointing at him, “You cheated!” 

Kagura caught the spoon when it fell as Gin grinned and replied, “All is fair in love and war and spoons. Everyone knows that.” 

Kagura nodded in agreement. “Everyone.” 

*****

After Okita left, and Gin’s pups had thoroughly been scented and sent on their way, Hijikata and Gin changed into sleep clothes and moved into the nest. Neither spoke. Gin was still walking with a skip in his step after his victory. Hijikata on the other hand, was fidgety and wouldn’t look at the omega straight on.

The alpha positioned himself as close to the edge of the nest as possible, much to Gin’s irritation. Apparently he wasn’t nearly as amused by Gin’s teasing, as the omega himself. Gin huffed irritably. “You’re a sore loser. Stop pouting.” 

The alpha ignored him, so he did the logical thing and wiggled closer. “Mayoooooraaa,” Gin whined tapping his back. “You can’t ignore me forever.” 

Hijikata growled softly, and finally rolled over. Gin began to open his mouth to gloat at the same moment the alpha lurched forward, and their mouths met in a painful clack of teeth. 

Hijikata looked away, rubbing his mouth, and though Gin couldn’t see well in the dim lighting he knew the mayora was likely as red as he had been earlier. 

“How did you like it?” Hijikata asked with a growl. 

Gin hummed in thought. “Could be better,” he answered with a grin intending to egg on the other. “Less teeth next time.” 

There was a long pause before Hijikata blurted out loudly, “Next time?!”

Gin hummed his agreement with a small smile, pushing away the darker thoughts and fears, and deciding to focus on the warm happy feeling that had been growing in his chest lately. 

Hijikata mumbled under his breath before shoving him over. “Scoot over a bit, you’re crowding me. Asshole.” 

Gin complied without complaint. He hadn’t quite drifted off when he felt an arm slowly wrap around his waist to pull him close.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short chapter, but I wanted to get something out for the holidays. And what is this? Maybe a hint of some plot?
> 
> Merry Christmas everyone, and thank you for your continued support!!

“Hijikata?” The alpha groaned. It wasn’t time to ge up yet. He felt someone shake him. “Hijikata!” 

With a low growl, Hijikata rolled over to see Gin right in his face. “What?” The omega winced at his loud voice and hushed him. 

“No one really walks by your room in the night, do they? It’s always been relatively quiet when I’ve been here.” 

Hijikata huffed irritably. “I like the quiet, so I chose a room out of the way. What of it?” 

“So what do you suppose that is?” Gin squeaked gesturing at the door. 

Hijikata quickly sat up with a growl, scenting the air. All he could pick up from his current position was the scent of Gin’s distress and the nest. His growl quickly cut off when he heard the sound of soft footsteps pacing outside of his door. Back and forth they went.

“You don’t suppose there could be a ghost in the barracks again. Though the last one was just an amanto, but a military barracks does seem like a pretty good place for a haunting. Just seems a possibility and all especially with you telling everyone to commit seppuku. Thought you may want to add your input.” 

Hijikata felt his own fear spike, but tried to keep it down. He was not afraid of ghosts. “No one has ever done it idiot, so it definitely is not a ghost. We’ve lived here for years and I’ve never noticed anything.” 

“And you wouldn’t have noticed anything tonight either, if I didn’t wake you. Just saying.” Gin muttered. 

Was the omega saying what Hijikata thought he was? That a ghost had been pacing outside of his door, and he’d never noticed? Nope. That was not an ok answer. There had to be another solution. “Well if you’re so sure it’s a ghost maybe you should go open the door and check!” 

“What?! You’re asking me, the nesting omega, to leave my nest to investigate the creepy footsteps outside. What kind of alpha are you? You check?” 

“Not the kind that believes in ghosts obviously!”

The footsteps outside stopped and both of them froze, until they started continuing this time with a low mutter. 

Both Hijikata and Gin buried themselves in the blankets. “You’ve done it now Mayora. It heard you didn’t believe, and is now going to curse you to prove you wrong.” 

“More like cursing you for upsetting the order of things here with your nest!” 

Gin squawked in indignance, apparently not concerned about noise any longer. The footsteps stopped again causing Hijikata to slap his hand over Gin’s mouth to prevent any further noises that may provoke the ghost. 

When the footsteps started again, Hijikata felt something warm and wet on his palm. He quickly jumped to remove it. “What the hell! Why did you lick me?”

“Because you’re an asshole alpha trying to stop an omega from protecting his nest in a time of peril!”

Hijikata growled. He couldn’t deny that while his fear held him in place, his alpha instincts were urging him to investigate the threat, and calm his omega. “Goddammit!” He stood and threw open the door, startling a yelp out of Yamazaki who was apparently the pacing spector. “Explain yourself!” He demanded with a snarl, radiating threatening pheromones.

The beta immediately tilted his head to reveal his neck submissively. “Uh… well… you see..” He was fidgeting with a folder in his hands and wouldn’t meet the alpha’s eyes.

“Just say it already!” He ordered.

Yamazaki held out the folder. “I know you are on a vacation, and Kondo told us not to involve you in the current investigation, but we have no leads and more are going missing.” 

Hijikata eagerly snatched the folder. About time he get some information on the current case. Damn Kondo keeping this away from him, especially if it was getting serious. He’d caught wind of something going on, but everyone stopped speaking, or would skirt the issue if he was passing. Without a thought he closed the door in the beta’s face, and returned to the nest. 

“So it was Anpan, who would’ve thought?” Gin said, no sign of his previous distress. 

Hijikata just nodded starting to page through the report with a frown. The omega huffed, not appreciating being ignored. He leaned against the alpha heavily, “So, what is that?”

“An ongoing case.” He replied simply causing the omega to huff. 

“It’s delivery disturbed my sleep, so I think I should get to know what it’s about.” 

Hijikata opened his mouth about to say something about confidentiality, but realized the futility of it. The shinsengumi had worked with the Odd Jobs several times in the past, including assignments that involved the shogun. Even if he didn’t share the information, the damn omega always seemed to have his nose in everything. 

“There have been a couple of reports of missing people. It looks like on further investigation, they were found to all be omegas. They think it may relate to a few earlier unsolved cases, that involved omega’s with no close family or friends. By the time we learned of their disappearance the trail had gone cold.” 

Gin was silent, and his face showed no expression, but his scent gave him away. There wasn’t any particular emotion coming through, but he was definitely upset. Hijikata understood. The omega had taken on as much of a role in protecting the people of this town as he had. The alpha had noticed in the past, that Gin did not handle death well. He like, Hijikata himself, tended to blame himself. Idiot.

The alpha put his hand on the omega’s head, stroking his hair in a way he’d learned the other liked over the last couple of days. “You didn’t choose to start nesting. It’s hormones.”

“I should still be on suppressants.” 

“Overusing suppressants could cause long term damage to your body, that could prevent you from helping anyone.”

The omega growled low in his throat. “I will not let my gender hold me back.” 

“And using suppressants accomplishes that?” 

Gin fell silent, but his scent remained sour. Hijikata tossed the folder aside before before pulling his omega to his chest, so he could smell the calming pheromones he was giving off. “It’s still late, we can talk more in the morning.” With that, he took up stroking his omega’s hair until he fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one took forever for me to get out. Some chapters just come more easily. Sadly I'm likely not going to get into a regular posting schedule, but I thank you all for your patience and support. Seriously all of your likes and comments mean, so much to me! Even if I don't respond, I read them all and they always make me smile :)

The first thing Hijikata was aware of when he began to wake was the stark feeling that something was missing… he couldn’t feel his omega next to him. The realization wiped all thoughts of sleep from his mind as he quickly sat up and scanned his surroundings. 

He wanted to believe Gin had just left for the bathroom or a snack, but he knew the odd jobs well enough to know that, despite the fact that he was likely still nesting, he had left to investigate the missing omegas. And left the mess of his nest for Hijikata to deal with… The bastard. He looked over the strangely organized clutter of clothes and blankets almost fondly. Maybe he’d leave it for now… just in case. 

The alpha scented the air, smelling only the nest. He would likely be able to follow Gin’s trail were he to outside where there wasn’t any interference. Hijikata’s instincts were screaming at him to do just that, after all his omega was alone and vulnerable, but he knew that the odd jobs would be difficult to find if he didn’t want to be and was anything but vulnerable even in his current state.

The best thing he could do at this point would be to get on the case. Hijikata pulled out a cigarette, lighting it, and taking a long drag. Time to see Kondo. He side eyed the nest. After giving one of his uniforms a wash.

*****

Gin was walking down the street sporting Hijikata’s casual kimono and scarf, the latter wrapped close to his nose to keep his alpha’s scent close. Despite this precaution, he still felt a nagging sense of anxiety from being away from his pack and nest. It wasn’t as bad as it had been earlier in the week, but a constant irritance nonetheless. Especially as he entered yoshiwara, and the number of suspicious alphas and betas loitering around increased exponentially. 

Normally he was ignored or given a wide berth by reputation alone, but that had changed. It seemed as if they were all leering at him. Maybe it was just the paranoia of leaving his nest. A low growl rumbled from him constantly.

The sharp smell of peppermint hit, and he wrinkled his nose before turning to find the source. A scruffy alpha was approaching with a wide grin. His teeth seemed too large, and his dark hair was greased back. 

“How much are you beautiful? I can give you a place to nest.” His voice was as abrasive as his scent. 

Gin snarled grabbing the hilt of his sword. “I’m not for sale,”

The alpha seemed unphased, taking another step forward. “Then what are you doing here? Everyone in Yoshiwara has a price, and you smell sweet enough I’m willing to pay yours.” 

Gin felt nauseous. This wasn’t the first time some sleazy alpha had done this. It was part of the reason he’d started suppressants in the first place. 

“Gin, the girls told me you were around,” He startled and turned towards the voice to find Tsukuyo approaching them. 

Her posture seemed casual, but her scent was demanding obedience. The toothy alpha seemed to have taken a hint and was slinking away. Once he was out of sight, Tsuki thankfully turned down the pheromones. Her scent had never bothered him in the past, but now they were making him uncomfortable. Damn instincts.

Tsuki pulled out her pipe and leaned against the wall to smoke. “No wonder you’ve been hard to locate lately. The glasses boy wasn’t very convincing when he told me that you were sick. Like you’d let that keep you down. I never would’ve guessed you were an omega, though it makes sense looking back.

Gin scoffed. “Everyone has been saying that.” 

Tsukuyo just shrugged. “So what’re you doing down here? And smelling like that?”

Gin continued, “I heard one of your girls has disappeared. 

“She’s the first of mine, but far from the first I’ve heard of.” 

He nodded with a frown, “Any leads?”

Tsuki shook her head, “That’s the strange thing. Whoever is behind this has to be well organized. People always make mistakes, but so far they haven’t that we know of. We’ve found no signs of attack, no witnesses, nothing.” 

Her scent was grew sour in distress, and he wrinkled his nose without thinking. The alpha mumbled an apology and took a few deep breaths. 

Gin’s own scent grew a little stronger as he tried to reassure her. “The Shinsengumi have also caught wind of this. We’ll find her.” 

“We’ll see.” 

*****

“Gin what are you doing here?” Shinpachi asked. He, Kagura, and even the damn dog Sadaharu, looked surprised by his entry into his own home. 

“I live here.” 

Shinpachi grinned, “With how often you actually pay Otose the rent, that could be debated. You know I meant because you’re still nesting” 

“Hey! I do plenty of work to keep the peace in town. That should count for more than cash!.” He pushed Kagura to make room for him on the sofa, and proceeded to scent her. She accepted his attentions by patting his head and calling him a good kitty. He ignored the comment for now to respond to Shinpachi, but would not forget. “I’m a bit uncomfortable, but I’ll get over it soon. This shit is only supposed to last like a week at most.” 

The beta just rolled his eyes and sat on the floor between Gin’s legs to be scented next. Once the pups finally smelled of him again, the omega address something that had been bothering him. “So when were you going to tell me about the missing omega’s?”

Kagura and Shinpachi looked at each other guiltily. “When you were done nesting.” Shinpachi stated. 

“There’s no shame in taking a break when that time of the month comes.” Kagura said patting his back.

Gin swatted her hand away. “I do not get a period.” 

Kagura tried to pat him again, but he easily deflected which resulted in a full out battle. “It is the modern day Gin. You don’t need to be embarrassed about periods anymore. Tampons are not a thing to be ashamed of!” 

Gin looked over to Shinpachi for help, but the beta was snickering. Traitor. 

 

“Stop talking about your lady business. Omega’s aren’t the same thing!”

Kagura stopped with a sigh. “I’m glad I only have one gender. That’s more than enough.” 

Gin nodded, “Agreed.” He turned his attention back to Shinpachi, “So find anything yet?”

The beta grew serious, shaking his head, “We’ve spoken to some of the families and friends of the missing omegas, but none could even define an exact date they were taken.”

Kagura huffed in frustration, “Shinpachi here has been worried about his sister with all of this, and recruited the gorilla to keep an eye on her even though I told him big sis was strong enough to take care of herself.”

Shinpachi shrugged, “I’d rather have that stalker around her than her going missing. We don’t know what has happened to the omegas yet. I have every reason to be worried.”

“So that’s how you found me!” Gin exclaimed triumphantly. “You came to the Shinsengumi barracks, and caught my scent or something didn’t you? I thought the mayora ratted me out.” 

“I mean he sort of did. I ran into him in the hall, and he stank of strawberries and vanilla. That would be your scent.”

“Well yeah, strawberry is the best. Don’t underestimate it.”

*****

Hijikata arrived at Otae’s place. When he hadn’t found Kondo in his office, this seemed the likeliest place. Especially when he put two and two together. Shinpachi had come to speak with Kondo, and omegas were going missing. 

Sure enough he noticed multiple shinsengumi members patrolling the area. He approached Yamazaki who, to no one’s surprised, was practicing his badminton swings. 

“Vice chief!” The beta snapped to attention.

“What’s everyone doing here?” He asked with a low growl.

“The Chief took Shinpachi’s request to keep an eye on Otae very seriously. You know what they say about getting in good with a girl’s family?” 

The alpha swore. He loved Kondo, but damn could he hyperfocus. “And who is working on all of the ongoing investigations during this?” 

Yamazaki looked had the grace to look ashamed. “Captain Okita and a few others.” 

“Take everyone but two men to stay here with Kondo, and get back to work!”

Yamazaki ran off to do as he was told, when a large crash echoes from inside followed by a woman shouting. Hijikata lit another cigarette. And there was his beloved Chief. He’d have to get this mess sorted out before he could move on to more important matters. 

*****

Gin returned to his room later that evening. Kagura was already snoring in her closet, and Shinpachi had left a couple of hours ago to return home to his sister, and whatever Shinsengumi members were lurking about. 

He laid out his extra futon, since he hadn’t thought to bring his usual one back when he was leaving his nest that morning. His nest. The omega let out a long sigh. He’d rather be there truthfully, but it didn’t feel right to return after he sneaked off. 

Gin tried grabbing the scarf he’d taken, and bring it close to his face, but the pine and smoke alpha scent had faded. He adjusted his position a couple of times, his frustration increasing after each failed attempt. 

Damn it all. He stood and kicked his extra futon off to the side as if it had personally offended him before leaving the room. 

Gin tried not to feel too defeated on the cold walk back to the Shinsengumi barracks. It was just these damn instincts. He growled to himself hating that he was so influenced by something so basic. It had been a long day, and the memory of the toothy alpha quickened his step. 

Finally he reached the Shinsengumi, the building shining like a safe haven on the horizon. He moved through the halls with a familiarity he never thought he’d have for the place. His previous hesitation forgotten in the simple need for warmth and safety he slid the door to the bedroom open to meet the gaze of his alpha.

Hijikata was settled in the nest in his pajamas. The alpha lifted one side of the blankets invitingly. “Took you long enough, odd jobs.” 

“Some of us have important things to do that don’t involve wasting other people’s taxes.” Gin retorted crawling into bed. 

 

“Says the guy who usually is laying on the couch, reading jump, and eating sweets,” The alpha curled around him, scenting him, and he did the same.

“Exactly! Very important work!” The two glared at each other for a moment before Gin cracked a smile which caused them both to start laughing.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize again for the length, and time it took to post. It's been crazy. I have no intentions of dropping the fic and have a lot of plans for where this could go. Thank you all for sticking with me!
> 
> Also if anyone frequents the midwest convention scene, I'm going to be at Acen this May bumming around as Ginko for most of it. I'm always down to meet other Gintama fans.

Gin started to wake, but the thick scent of pine seemed to be weighing his eyelids down. A loud rumbling purr started in his chest and he settled in deeper into the blankets, pulling them close. The purring development was still pretty strange, and he hadn’t figured out how to stop it. That was a concern for future Gin. Future Gin had a lot of shit to deal with. Present Gin sure was an asshole. 

He’d just begun to drift off when a sharp inhale next to his ear woke him again. Damn alpha. Couldn’t he just sit still like the pillow Gin was apparently using him as. Selfish bastard. 

Hijikata growled. “Dammit odd jobs I know you’re awake. Get off.”

Gin refused to open his eyes, but couldn’t help the small upturn of his lips. He would do nothing of the sort. Instead he just wiggled, hooking his leg around the alpha below him to make him harder to dislodge. 

A low moan escaped the alpha, and that did cause the omega to open his eyes. Hijikata had turned his face away, but couldn’t hide that he was bright red. Not for the first time, the omega wondered just how far down that blush extended. 

A wicked grin lit his face, and he shifted again. As he suspected, a certain part of the alpha’s anatomy was very awake. 

“I suppose I could get off, but it seems you’re the one that needs to,” Gin retorted. That got the vice chief’s attention. He looked anything but a demon with his embarrassed sputtering. “Aw Hijikata, so honored by Gin’s offer you’re speechless.”

The alpha snarled, and flipped him onto his back. “I am not, you ass!”

The smokey scent in the air demanded obedience. Combined with the growl still rumbling in the alpha’s chest and his exposed fangs, Gin was finding it hard not to avert his eyes and expose his neck submissively. He should be more bothered by the fact, but damn he was just turned on, a fact that didn’t go unnoticed. 

“You’re one to talk odd jobs.”

“I’m not the one making a big deal out of it. Come on mayora, we’re both men here. We aren’t some adolescents pretending our mom doesn’t pick up crusty socks from our bedroom floors.”

“Says the adult omega who didn’t know he was nesting.” 

Gin didn’t have a retort, so he used his elbows to push himself up and kiss the bastard. The alpha froze, but only for a moment before a soft sigh escaped his lips and his body relaxed. The aggression from earlier had been replaced with a gentle hesitance. It was pretty cute, but not what the omega wanted. He nipped at Hijikata’s lip and canted his hips to grind against the other’s erection eliciting another long moan. That was a sound he planned to hear more of. 

Unfortunately, now would apparently not be the time. The door slid open revealing Okita who appeared completely unconcerned. “Morning Hijikata,” he nodded at Gin who nodded back “Boss. We’ve got another missing omega. Her mother is here, if you want to question her personally.”

“We’ll be there in a few,” Hijikata replied. 

Okita raised an eyebrow, “Sure it won’t take longer than that?”

The alpha snarled grabbing the nearest pillow and tossing it at Sougo who managed to dodge, “Get out!” The door slid shut on the other alpha’s snickering. 

“Fuck,” He muttered turning back to the omega still pinned underneath him. Gin’s eyes were wide and he was fixated on the pillow. Hijikata suddenly realized his mistake, and was about to apologize but Gin interrupted him by throwing his arms around his neck in an excited embrace before wiggling away.

“I’m cured! I don’t care that you threw the pillow! No more nesting for me! Take that hormones! Now things can go back to normal!” 

Hijikata watched the omega dance around stupidly. He wanted to be happy for the idiot, but what did he mean by normal? The alpha wasn’t sure if he could go back to the way things were after this week. Did that omega really think he could come into Hijikata’s den, fuck with him, and leave? 

A low growl left him, and his scent turned bitter. Gin turned to him confused, but before he could say anything the alpha snapped, “Just clean up your shit before you leave.” 

Gin turned his attention back to the alpha noticing the change of tone, “What’s got you so crabby?”

Hijikata stood and started to get dressed while avoiding the omega’s eyes, “I’m sick of you being around and trashing my room. Obviously. You just showed up, and it wasn’t like I could kick you out. Omega’s are so damn sensitive.” With that, the alpha stormed out of the room. 

*****

Gin watched the closed door for a minute, while he processed what had happened. He’d thought he and Hijikata were getting along fine, but something had clearly pissed him off. Maybe the alpha had only been so amiable because of hormones. Now that Gin thought about it, he didn’t have much experience with omegas, there was a chance the alpha had just been overwhelmed and not wanted to upset him. 

Fuck, was he really so stupid? Sure they fought well together, but they still fought about stupid things. Of course Hijikata, thought he was just in the way. Fuck, he’d really messed up this time. 

Gin could feel his thoughts start to spiral, and tried to contain it. It was just after he nested. Hormones were running high, and it made the rejection from his, no.. not his, alpha feel worse. It was just his damn gender.

He grabbed the duffel he’d used to transport his nest over here and began stuffing things in. 

Fuck, why did he think he deserved someone like Hijikata? He was so stupid.

The zipper on the duffel caught, and Gin snarled at it before sitting on top to help it close. It took a few tries but he got it closed enough that things wouldn’t fall out. He tossed the bag over his shoulder and started leaving. 

It’d been a while since he’d gone out with the madao. Maybe if they got lucky gambling he could afford another few months of suppressants. That or he could drink himself to sleep. Both appealing options. 

There was a woman also headed towards the exit, probably the mother of the last omega taken. He scented the air, beta. “I know something of what’s going on, what was your daughter’s name.” The woman looked exhausted, and pretty young. Shit, how old was her missing daughter? 

The two exited the building before she continued, “Amaya. She was 15 and walking home from school. She had just presented a month earlier. As another omega, you must realize what it could mean for her.” 

He did know what it meant. Luckily for him he’d been raised a fighter or things could’ve turned out a lot differently. They almost had on several occasions that he refused to recall sober. Some school girl didn’t stand much of a chance. 

A tug on his sleeve brought his attention back. The beta was looking up at him with watery eyes and stank of distress. “Please, bring her back.” 

Gin nodded, “I promise.” 

The gambling and drinking would have to be postponed for another night. This could not wait.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What? A chapter in a reasonable amount of time? Clearly this is a fluke.
> 
> Also to whoever greeted me at ACEN, thank you so much! I love meeting other Gintama fans!
> 
> If anyone would like to see my Ginko pictures, I'm starting to post them on my instagram. I'm SleepingServal. There's mainly cosplay and my pets

Hijikata returned to his room after meeting with the missing girl’s mother. So far, all of the omegas taken had been adults. The fact that it was a teenager this time made everyone feel the urgency of the whole situation. The number of kidnappings had slowly been increasing. Unfortunately it was likely the demand for omega’s on the black market was the reason. Disgusting. 

He felt his heart drop into his stomach as the he noticed what remained in his room. All of his clothes and futon that had been a part of his omega’s nest were scattered around, and his desk layed abandoned sadly on its side without the blanket that had covered it. 

Gin had really left.

The alpha had expected the stubborn omega to still be camping out despite what he’d said. Of course, this is the one time that damn Odd Jobs decided to listen to him. He had even kind of been looking forward to getting that idiot’s insight on the developments in the case. Apparently he was right about the other wanting to return to his normal life as soon as possible. 

He tossed the notebook he’d been taking notes in off to the side with a snarl before proceeding to angrily clean his room. He had thought removing all traces of the nest would make him feel better, but it just left him feeling empty. 

Hijikata turned to the notebook still laying abandoned next to the wall. Work. He couldn’t focus on these shitty emotions if he was too busy focusing on the case. 

*****

Gin walked down the street after dropping off his duffel, not bothering to unpack. It sounded like too much work, or so he told himself. He refused to think about the way his stomach twisted every time his thoughts turned to a certain v bangs. He shook his head to dismiss those thoughts.

Now, where would a bunch of omega thieves hang out. They went after Amaya so soon after she presented that he guessed they had someone on the inside, either in the school or potentially a heat clinic. That would be the place to start. 

The closest thing to him was a heat clinic so he decided to start there. Much to his surprise Katsura and Elizabeth were seated outside in one of their many stupid ‘disguises.’ They were lucky the cops were such idiots. That thought brought him dangerously close to think about a certain vice chief again, so he quickly turned his attention to the alpha in front of him. 

“The hell are you doing here Zura?”

“It’s not Zura, it’s Katsura,” The alpha replied habitually, “Investigating the missing omegas. I’m guessing you’re doing the same.” 

Gin nods, “Word seems to have really spread.” 

Zura stands, his expression serious. “Are you sure that’s wise given your condition.” 

Gin growled, “Condition? You should know better than anyone that I don’t let being an omega get in the way.”

The alpha sighed, “I’m sorry, that’s not what I meant. You’ve clearly stopped taking suppressants, at least for now, because you stink like an omega. These people are taking omegas.”

Gin leaned against the building with a huff. “I can handle myself. Mind your own business.” 

“Just think about it alright. You could handle yourself during the war, and things still happened. If you insist on continuing this investigation, you should bring along the police dog whose scent is all over you.” 

With that Katsura, and Elizabeth stood to leave. Good thing too because Gin was ready to punch him the face. He was forever thankful for everything his pack had done for him in the war, but he was perfectly capable of taking care of himself. He could resist any alpha orders, and was a great fighter. He didn’t need the help of some asshole mayora. 

The omega was pulled out of his thoughts by a strong peppermint scent; strong enough to burn his nose. He looked up to the people walking passed and quickly spotted the toothy alpha that had tried to pick him up. 

Gin’s eyes narrowed, as his gaze followed him down the street. Likely he was just another pervert, but something about him felt off and he had learned to trust his instincts. Not to mention it was unlikely the author would’ve brought him back if he wasn’t plot relevant. 

He followed him through the street at a reasonable distance. The alpha was talking quietly on the phone and paying little attention to his surroundings, so it was easy to follow him. With how things had been going, it made Gin wonder if he was actually right about this alpha. He was not sneaky at all. If this was one of the kidnappers, it was a miracle they hadn’t been caught yet.

In fact, Gin had stopped paying much attention to his target and almost missed it as the alpha dove into a thin alley. He swore and followed, but the alpha was gone.

He drew his sword and growled softly. Where the hell did he go? The air around him felt thick, and the mint scent was burning his eyes. 

Gin tried breathing through his mouth, but it didn’t help. The walls felt like they were closing in, and he growled louder feeling trapped. Fuck! The scent felt almost like a physical entity pushing him down. His eyes darted around nervously. Something wasn’t right. He took a step back only to feel a sharp pain on the back head then… nothing. 

*****

Hijikata flipped through his notes from a few interviews to see if he missed anything, but reading it over again for the ninth time revealed nothing. He huffed in frustration, shoving them into his pocket. Maybe if he read them later that would change. Ten seemed like a good number.

No one in the areas the girl traveled on a regular basis had seen anything suspicious. At least nothing useful. It seemed like people either clammed up when talking to the police, or started mentioning every tiny irritance in the neighborhood. 

Today had really been shit. That damn odd jobs seemed to be lingering too. Everything seemed to bring him to mind. He still felt like he could smell him. 

The alpha froze scenting the air. There. He could just barely smell that damn perm head under a lingering mint scent. He followed the scent further and into an inconspicuous alley. 

Hijikata wrinkled his nose as the omega’s scent soured with distress. It was definitely just his alpha instincts and not the fact that he cared about the bastard, but it worried him. He’d seen the omega in some bad situations, but he’d been on suppressants at the time.

Luckily he couldn’t be more than 15 minutes or so behind them given the strength of the scents. He had to move fast.

*****

Gin cringed as he came to with a nasty headache. He groaned feeling the back of his head to find a large bump. Well that sucked. He slowly sat up and opened his eyes. 

He was in a dirty dim room in a cage. These guys were all about that kidnapper aesthetic apparently. Couldn’t they afford some carpet at least? A comfy chair? A little hospitality goes a long way.

Huddled in one of the corners was a girl with short dark hair and a school uniform, Amaya. She was watching him with wide eyes and smelled afraid. He instinctively emitted calming pheromones to comfort her. “Hey, there’s no need to be afraid. Unlike these perverts I’m not into school girls. Weather ladies are more my type.” 

One of her eyebrows raised incredulously, and she relaxed ever so slightly. 

“Amaya right?” He asked, “I talked to your mom. I’m here to get you out.” 

She stared at him blankly for a minute, so Gin continued, “Made speechless by my heroism? I get it. I have that effect on people.” 

The girl snorted in laughter before covering her mouth in surprise, and Gin grinned. There were steps outside and Gin moved in front of Amaya into a defensive crouch, growling lowly. The door opened to reveal Hijikata, and he automatically relaxed in the presence of his alpha. 

“Well would you look at that? Cops showing up after an innocent civilian has already done most of their job,” He gestures at Amaya meaningfully, “I found her.”

Hijikata moved to investigate the cage lock, “You were captured, idiot.” 

“Yeah, to help you find Amaya obviously.” 

The young omega snickered again and Gin smiled, “See, she appreciates me.” 

 

The alpha broke the lock, “She’s laughing at you.” 

Gin turned to Amaya with a gasp, “Say it isn’t so! I thought we had a bond!” 

The young omega grinned, and stepped out of the cage behind Gin, “So you guys are going to shut up and get us out of here right?” 

Gin laughed, “I like you.” 

Hijikata huffed irritably, “She’s right we need to get moving.” 

How was the damn perm head always so care free? He’d smelled his distress in the alley, and here he was acting like he wasn’t just locked in the cage. He looked between the two omegas, and at how relaxed the younger had become. That could have something to do with it. He wondered if Gin even realized he was doing it. 

“How big is this building? Did you smell any other omegas?” 

Gin’s questions brought his attention back in the moment, and he frowned when he realized what the odd jobs was getting at. “No this place is pretty small. Likely just a place to temporarily store omegas before they move them to a different facility.”

Gin nodded. He’d expected as much. “Does your phone have tracking capabilities?” 

Hijikata’s eyes widened, “The fuck are you thinking.” 

“This is the first time we’ve gotten close to these guys. I read through the reports you were going over. They’re good. We can’t lose this chance to find the others. Rescuing Amaya will make them cautious.” 

The alpha growled, “They know you’re an omega. You are not staying behind.” Gin stepped up to Hijikata so he was looking him straight in his eyes. Hijikata couldn’t deny that he found the aggressive behavior from the omega attractive. 

“I can take care of myself,” Gin said reaching into the alpha’s back pocket grabbing his phone. “Besides, it’ll give you the chance to be all macho alpha and come rescue the omega in distress. Alpha’s love that shit.” He looked at the phone he’d taken. “Flip phones? Maybe being a cop doesn’t pay as well as I thought.” 

Hijikata ran his fingers through his hair in agitation. “You aren’t thinking this through. They’ll find the phone on you. That’s a shit idea.” 

Gin dropped the phone in his boot. “I’m an omega. They’ll probably underestimate me. Also who even checks boots.” 

There was the sound of steps coming from the opposite direction Hijikata had come from. The floor was damn noisy.

“This is stupid. Let’s just go,” Hijikata said turning to the door he’d entered from. 

Gin grabbed the alpha’s shoulder and turned him back to face him. “Mark me. I’m staying behind, and you can’t stop that, but you can do this for me. I won’t let them bite me and have that power over me.”

The omega’s face was calm, but Hijikata could smell his fear. He didn’t like this sour smell on Gin. The odd jobs was supposed to smell like the stupid parfaits he loved. Before he could overthink it, he grabbed the back of Gin’s neck and pulled him into a quick rough kiss. “I hate you,” was all he said before he pulled the omega’s head to the side and bit into his scent gland, marking him as his mate. 

Gin moaned, and damn Hijikata wished they were anywhere but here. Why was their whole situation so fucked? It felt even worse to leave his omega behind now, but he knew that Gin was right. This would be their best opportunity to find the other missing omegas quickly, and speed was everything when this was likely a slave trade scenario.

Besides, he would be back for the damn perm head in no time to make him pay for making him feel like this. 

The alpha turned to the young omega who was blushing, and flushed himself. He’d kind of forgotten that they had an audience. “Follow me.” 

They quickly made their way out of the building and it wasn’t until they were safely among other people that she looked up to him with wide innocent eyes and said, “I can’t believe he’s an omega. Your mate is so brave.” He didn’t bother correcting her.


End file.
